Those Silos

I awoke at 05:40 thinking I was early. Unfortunately the clocks had been set back an hour which meant that the sun would be up in fifty minutes, not in one hour and fifty. It turned out to be a very beautiful sky. Which I enjoyed while making my way to the Silos. Unfortunately any colour had vanished by the time these pics were taken. So I'll try to go back. But rather than waste them, here are a couple for the record.

Handheld at 1/50. So the water really was this mirror like. Not a breath of wind... yet. You would not get this in the evening.

Handheld at 1/50. So the water really was this mirror like. Not a breath of wind... yet. You would not get this in the evening.

Then this happens: They get up early too. Must feel extra cool gliding through such still water. Wouldn't want to fall in though!

Then this happens: They get up early too. Must feel extra cool gliding through such still water. Wouldn't want to fall in though!

On the tripod with a filter for 15s. 

On the tripod with a filter for 15s. 

All of a sudden I see this A380 flying super low from North to South crossing the Yarra right above my head. I can hardly believe my eyes, nor my ears as it was so quiet. Almost felt unreal seeing one so low... except I have the pic to prove it (thi…

All of a sudden I see this A380 flying super low from North to South crossing the Yarra right above my head. I can hardly believe my eyes, nor my ears as it was so quiet. Almost felt unreal seeing one so low... except I have the pic to prove it (this was not taken with the bird lens).

A six-shot stitched pano (at 70mm) facing East toward the Hoddle Bridge (1938). Time for the City of Melbourne (or someone) to take responsibility for the shocking run-down graffiti-infected sign on top of those Silos!

A six-shot stitched pano (at 70mm) facing East toward the Hoddle Bridge (1938). Time for the City of Melbourne (or someone) to take responsibility for the shocking run-down graffiti-infected sign on top of those Silos!

Mordialloc harbour views

Work remains busy and the air outside oppressively warm for days. Lethargy seeps in by the ends so it gets hard to be motivated for an evening shoot. But the sky looked interesting this evening. So I took the camera and tripod to Mordialloc creek and had a go. It (the sky) didn't happen. But I took a few shots anyway and waited to catch a train crossing the bridge over the creek as it left the local station. Not an amazing evening. But there's just something about being near the water in the evening. It's impossible to photograph the refreshing sea air / breeze that beats being inside a hot house on a warm summer night!

A boat motors toward the rail bridge as a train leaves Mordialloc station.

A boat motors toward the rail bridge as a train leaves Mordialloc station.

A small boat passing by The Bridge Hotel, Mordialloc

A small boat passing by The Bridge Hotel, Mordialloc

Small boats, tied up for the night

Small boats, tied up for the night

SUNSET AT MORDIALLOC

We've been blessed with a few beautiful sunsets recently. So at the last minute I decided to have a go at getting one in a new location. Not necessarily a good idea. 

It takes 27 minutes to drive from my house to Mordialloc Pier. That's what Apple Maps said. But then I needed to track further along the bay to locate an ideal vantage point to capture the sun setting behind the Pier. Once I'd found said spot I had about 2 minutes to whip the camera from the bag and land it on the tripod. The first shot was my favourite because of how the water/waves 'fell'. But it's hard to choose. Anyone who's tried photographing water knows every shot is different and unique and you may need to take quite a few to get one that feels just right. Ideal shutter speeds range from, maybe, 1/5 to 2/3 of a second. So here are 3 shots taken within seconds of each other around 20:41pm just as the sun reached the horizon. And one or two taken a little later.

Sunset behind Mordialloc Pier 28mm F16 1/5s ISO64

Sunset behind Mordialloc Pier 28mm F16 1/5s ISO64

Seagull makes a cross (top left), Sunset behind Mordialloc Pier 35mm F16 1/8s ISO64

Seagull makes a cross (top left), Sunset behind Mordialloc Pier 35mm F16 1/8s ISO64

Sunset behind Mordialloc Pier, 35mm F16 1/6s ISO64

Sunset behind Mordialloc Pier, 35mm F16 1/6s ISO64

Sunset behind Mordialloc Pier, 24mm F16 0.4s ISO64

Sunset behind Mordialloc Pier, 24mm F16 0.4s ISO64

Gulls swimming at Mordialloc Pier, 24mm F16 1/6s ISO64

Gulls swimming at Mordialloc Pier, 24mm F16 1/6s ISO64

Dreams begin, Mordialloc Pier, 24mm F16 1.6s ISO64 GND3Stops

Dreams begin, Mordialloc Pier, 24mm F16 1.6s ISO64 GND3Stops

Darkness falls, Mordialloc, 17mm F9 2.5s ISO64

Darkness falls, Mordialloc, 17mm F9 2.5s ISO64